iNoveltranslation
Rumble!
The ground kept shaking endlessly. However, the chess pieces on the board remained stable and unmoving unless commanded by the player.
Playing chess while the dungeon was collapsing might seem difficult, but for a mage who was used to casting spells in the midst of battles, it was quite a familiar and natural task.
Of course, not for Baek Yu-Seol.
"Argh!"
He planted his sword into the ground, used the blessing of New Moon Bronze to freeze the ground and his feet, ultimately securing his body in place.
Then, he utilized the blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamweol to calm his heart as much as possible and took on the entire chess situation.
It was not hard. The calculations were done by the Sentient Spec anyway. All he needed to do was hold on and avoid being swept away by the collapsing dungeon.
'Faster. Faster!'
Baek Yu-Seol’s mental strength was draining rapidly. To use the AI function of the Sentient Spec, he needed to consume a large amount of mental energy.
Remembering how his head felt like it was going to explode just from facing a high school student before... How excruciating would it be to defeat Carmen Set?
Fortunately, the blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamweol was helping, but given the situation, his mental energy was split to maintain stability, causing a painful headache.
[Calculating the optimal move.]
Regardless, the Sentient Spec projected a holographic beam visible only to Baek Yu-Seol, indicating the next move. He made the move exactly as instructed without error.
‘Argh, what's happening now? Am I winning? Carmen Set isn’t smarter than the AI, right? After all, even Lee Sedol defeated AlphaGo, so it’s not impossible!’
{TN:- Lee Sedol is a professional Go player from South Korea, renowned for his exceptional skill in the ancient board game Go. He gained international fame in 2016 when he played a series of matches against AlphaGo, an artificial intelligence program developed by Google's DeepMind.}
In such an extreme situation, all sorts of thoughts crossed his mind.
But Baek Yu-Seol’s worries were unnecessary.
"... What?"
Startled by Carmen Set’s sudden words, Baek Yu-Seol hurriedly examined the board.
Having played quite a bit of Soul Chess in the past, it wasn't difficult for him to assess the situation even without the Sentient Spec’s help.
"This is..."
Baek Yu-Seol had won. And it was a flawless victory. He had completely overpowered Carmen Set without allowing a single attack.
Rumble!
"Ugh!"
As Carmen Set’s king fell, the vibrations intensified, as if the entire foundation of the dungeon was being uprooted.
Yet, Carmen Set continued speaking without any hesitation.
Finally, the time had come.
He carefully chose his words and spoke.
"My wish is to restore the body of Chairman Melian, who gained immortality through a wish, and to permanently stop the activity of the malignant tumor 'Azkan’s Claw' devouring his heart."
"... That’s quite a long wish."
"You can do that much, right? After all, I beat you in chess."
Rumble!
Not only was the dungeon collapsing, but now small holes were starting to form in the space itself. It created a terrifying sight of landmarks disappearing into another dimension, causing sweat to run down Baek Yu-Seol’s face.
He laughed heartily as if he had found something amusing.
Baek Yu-Seol didn’t understand why Carmen Set’s words became so drawn out. However, he felt that there was a sincere emotion behind them.
As Carmen Set exclaimed, his red eyes flashed, and then... He vanished somewhere. He must have moved to another timeline. The dungeon would also follow Carmen Set as it collapsed, and there was a high chance Baek Yu-Seol would perish if he got caught in it.
But he had one last desperate attempt left.
“... New Moon Silver!”
He shouted his name into the void.
“I know you’re watching this very moment!”
Once, he played poker with him and promised to meet again. For an ordinary person, reuniting isn’t difficult—just decide on a time and place. But for a time traveler, time is very fluid and unpredictable. As someone who equated reunions with miracles, New Moon Silver would be keeping a special watch on Baek Yu-Seol.
“Just once is enough!”
The sound of the collapsing dungeon was hollowed out. Only an unpleasant noise akin to a hidden smartphone vibrating under a blanket echoed in his ears.
Baek Yu-Seol’s body was also slowly being sucked into a tunnel of space and time.
As he felt himself disappearing, he cried out to New Moon Silver.
“Wheel of time...!”
Immediately after.
Baek Yu-Seol lost consciousness.
"… Hmph!"
New Moon Silver, who had been playing Go alone, suddenly felt a sensation that made all his senses alert, and he quickly looked up.
In his silver eyes, he saw the figure of Baek Yu-Seol. A horrifying disaster was happening in real-time.
'Damn it...!'
He hadn’t been watching him constantly, so it was impossible to immediately understand how that bright boy got caught in a vortex of space and time. He only thought, 'A bizarre incident happened while I was distracted...!'
What kind of human being would go through such a situation, which even New Moon Silver himself found difficult? That too with a seventeen year old body.
But that didn’t matter.
The word 'wheel of time' shouted by Baek Yu-Seol at the end was imprinted in his mind.
He was asking for 'time travel'.
Without New Moon Silver’s blessing, the side effects would undoubtedly be severe. However, considering Baek Yu-Seol had survived through many timelines, he might be fine.
Yet, there was a problem.
‘… With my current power, it’s impossible to completely extract Baek Yu-Seol from that vortex.’
If he had absorbed the relic of the past, it might be different. He had a idea.
‘Wait…’
New Moon Silver sensed it.
At that very moment, somewhere, the artifact of the past was active.
It was another version of him, and its power was his own.
'... I guess I can at least use it.'
He had to forcibly fit the power that was originally his into the tunnel of space and time. It was a humiliating situation, but one he had brought upon himself.
New Moon Silver sat in a lotus position and concentrated.
‘The time zone that the past artifact sees is the Aether Continent ten years ago.’
Although he couldn’t bring Baek Yu-Seol back to the present, he could temporarily settle him there. It was better for him to stay briefly in the past than to be swept away by the vortex of time.
“Hoo....”
Reversing the wheel of time was something he hadn’t done in a long time, so he felt a bit nervous, but he calmly used his powers and spoke up.
“Baek Yu-Seol, can you hear me?” Even though Baek Yu-Seol was already caught in the vortex of space and time, he had to make sure the message was delivered.
“I am going to send you in the past, ten years ago. However, remember this important point.”
The most crucial advice to give a time traveler:
“Never try to change the events that occurred in the past. Doing so will result in the complete annihilation of the future...”
For instance, the modern Aether World was built by the 'Third Magic War' that happened 100 years ago.
Suppose a time traveler went back 100 years and prevented the Third Magic War. What would happen to the present?
Would history be rewritten so that the war never occurred, creating a different world? No, it wouldn't.
This current world... would cease to exist. All memories, wills, history, civilization, family, friends, relationships, and destinies would vanish completely, leaving nothing behind.
“You were able to defy the fate of time. That’s something even I couldn’t do. But you must never change the fate of the past! Remember this. No matter what!”
He desperately shouted to Baek Yu-Seol, and then...
Flash!
A silver wheel filled the night sky, and precisely rewinded 3,650 times, and then disappeared.
“Phew...”
Confirming that Baek Yu-Seol’s presence had completely vanished, New Moon Silver wiped the sweat off and stood up.
“Please. Let nothing go wrong...”
———-
Meanwhile, Eisel and Edna were searching the ruined city of Karacornia. They were in a different direction from the other expedition members.
In truth, calling it a search was an overstatement since their exploration skills were quite unrefined.
Experts could infer the technological capabilities, dietary habits, and culture of the ancient people from small stone fragments or marks on buildings. They would quickly identify where the important things were hidden and begin their investigation.
In contrast, Edna and Eisel had no training in exploring ruins. They were magic warrior cadets who fought against dark beings. While they had some camping experience, they were complete novices in ruins exploration.
In this place, they were no more than ordinary people with a little magical knowledge.
'But not only experts conduct explorations.’
Edna recalled a scene from a movie she saw in her previous life... or rather, in her past life. It was a story where the legendary treasure, which countless experts and brave men failed to find, was accidentally discovered by an ordinary heroine, who then gained superpowers.
Being ordinary doesn't mean you can't achieve extraordinary things. Although it was a movie and fiction, Eisel herself was no less special than a fictional character.
Not that her existence was fictional, but she was indeed very special.
‘Eisel, you’re the protagonist.’
Edna followed her slowly. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the special power to follow fate, but Eisel did.
As expected, Eisel was gradually moving toward the correct answer. Even though she wandered aimlessly around Karacornia without knowing anything...
The strange sense of incongruity only grew closer and closer.
And finally, they reached the location.
“... It’s a tower.”
“Yes. It was hard to find because it was tangled like a maze, but we finally made it.”
It was a place she had read about in Stella's underground library. Though it looked slightly different from the records, its overall features were very similar.
Facing the towering structure, Eisel and Edna looked at each other.
“... Shall we go in?”
“Yes, let’s do it.”
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous. Eisel took a deep breath and reached out her hand towards the front door of the tower. All she had to do now was push...
“Hello?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
… When she thought that they were already inside the tower.
“What the...?”
Edna hurriedly looked around.
Three cups of warm coffee. Red carpet and red curtains. The warmth of the crackling fireplace enveloped the room in a cozy atmosphere, and the glass windows were wide open, letting in a refreshing breeze.
“What are you so surprised about?” In the room stood Kayla, dressed elegantly like a princess. She walked towards the girls.
“My dear ones, aren’t you tired from your adventure? Honestly, I’m quite exhausted. How about a little refreshment?”
Eisel and Edna gazed at her with wary eyes, took a step back and pointed their wands at her.
“Oh my. We were such good friends. Have you come to hate me already?”
“... Who are you really?” Eisel asked, and in response, Kayla smiled brightly.
“Well, I wonder. I’m curious about my identity too. I don’t have any memories of my childhood.”
“No memories?”
“Yeah. At some point, I just realized I had these abilities.”
She took out a damaged apple from her bosom and gently rubbed it with her hand. It turned into a fresh, red apple.
Crunch!
Kayla took a bite, closed her eyes, and shivered with delight.
“Mmm! So delicious!”
“What kind of magic is that?”
“Magic? No, this isn’t magic.”
Kayla quietly stared at the apple she had restored. The vacant look in her eyes made it impossible to read her thoughts, increasing the tension.
“Well, I don’t think it’s magic. Probably. Honestly, I don’t really know either.”
“I see...”
How much should they believe? How much should they accept?
“Anyway, why don’t you sit down? I bear no ill will towards you. Truly.”
Eisel and Edna exchanged glances. Since they had been brought here, there was no way to escape.
As the girls nodded reluctantly...
“Oh...!”
“Ugh...!”
In an instant, they were already seated.
“Now, shall we talk? Honestly, the phrase ‘shall we talk’ feels quite awkward. What should we even talk about? Does such a conversation have any meaning?”
“Judging by your expressions, I can see that you find this conversation boring. So, shall we change the topic? Let’s talk about why you came to find me.”
At those words, Eisel’s eyes widened.
“As you might have guessed, it’s highly likely that I’m the ‘artifact of New Moon Silver.’ After living for so long and reflecting on myself, this is the conclusion I’ve come to. What do you think?”
Eisel had no idea about her identity. No, to begin with… She was a artifact. Someone who lived among other people as an ordinary person.
Eisel wanted to deny the existence in front of her. It felt as though her entire understanding of reality was being tested.
But ultimately...
“I think what you’re saying is... correct.”
When a situation that goes beyond common sense turns into reality, she had no choice but to accept it.
It was a bitter and painful experience. For Eisel, who stubbornly believed only in her own wisdom, it was even more so.
“What reason could you have to find me? Honestly, I don’t know much about you. But... I felt a very familiar and friendly aura from you both, so I came to you myself.”
“What? Wait a minute...”
“What did you say?”
It wasn’t just Eisel who was surprised.
“Sis, did you just say ‘both’?”
“Yes.”
“Did you misspeak?”
“No. I felt a similar aura from you too. With my limited knowledge, I can’t exactly tell what it is, but... I approached you because I thought it was a good scent. Why? Is there something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. It’s just...”
It was just that such an aura should only be felt from 'protagonist Eisel.'
‘What’s going on...?'
Why was a similar aura being sensed from her? Edna couldn’t understand what Kayla meant.
“... Let’s leave these meaningless talks aside. I’ll get straight to the point.”
Eisel looked directly into Kayla’s eyes. Her eyes were bright and beautiful, and they resembled clear silver jade.
“Please show me the past from 10 years ago.”
There was a certain strength and determination in her resolute words. The will to uncover her father’s truth by any means necessary.
Kayla looked back at Eisel. It was only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.
“Okay. I can do that.”
She smiled brightly and replied.
“I can do that much. But... You can’t do anything when you get there.”
Kayla stretched as she stood up.
“Remember. Think of it as watching a ‘recorded video tape.’ Even I can’t perform grande acts like time travel.”
“Even the artifact of New Moon Silver can’t time travel?”
“Well. Sometimes the ability to time travel activates without my knowledge, but I don’t understand the principle behind it, and I don’t want to use such an imperfect ability on you.”
“I see...”
“Anyway, it’s impossible to interact with the people of that era or interfere with history. Really, you can only go and watch. You can’t do anything else.”
Kayla emphasized this point multiple times. ‘You can see the past, but you cannot do anything.’
As if she knew exactly what part of the past Eisel wanted to see.
“Still. Do you really want to go?”
Regardless of what truth awaited there, she had already made up her mind to see it.
Eisel nodded firmly, and Kayla smiled bitterly.
“Alright. I’ll send you to the world of ten years ago. Go and see for yourself the truth you’ve always believed in.”
At that moment, the world blinked out of existence.